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Drugs, medicaments, welfare foods, etc.

Day accommodation for children
The Council's day nurseries provide for children whose mothers are obliged to work
because they are without a husband (i.e., widowed, divorced etc.) or because the father's
income is insufficient to maintain the home. They also provide care for children during
illness or confinement of their mothers, for children whose health might suffer through
environmental factors (including poor housing) if not admitted to a nursery and for
children who have no mother. Any places which remain unfilled are available for other
children whose mothers go to work, but the Council does not take these into consideration
when determining the need for day nursery accommodation.
Day
nurseries
Excessive provision is avoided by closing or amalgamating nurseries when necessary
or by reducing approved numbers.
Child-minders who are not required to register under the Nurseries and ChildMinders
Regulation Act, 1948, are encouraged to register voluntarily. They receive a
small weekly payment in return for which they accept supervision by the Council,
allow their homes to be inspected and take the children to a child welfare clinic
monthly.
Childminders
The extent of the day nursery and child-minder provision in London will be seen
from the following table. Five maintained day nurseries (376 places) were closed during
1957. Two training nurseries were among the nurseries closed. The number of training
nurseries at the end of the year was 51 (including two grant-aided nurseries). During
the same period the number of private day nurseries increased by two (55 places).
Statutory and voluntary child-minders increased by 91 with an increase of 156 in the
number of children minded. A number of the private day nurseries and child-minders
care for children for part of the day only.
51
D*